Arts & Crafts with Mr. Collins

I know I should be writing a thoughtful post looking back over 2014 and ahead to 2015, but…right now, I just can’t.

Why?

Because I work with my husband, and sometimes a girl just has to vent.

Eddie wears many hats at Bisousweet, and lately has been doing a lot of designing for 2015 projects. We’re currently working on updating our packaging. Our goal is to design packaging that highlights the name of the product on the front of the bag/package so that people know what they’re looking at/buying. Our latest thought is create tags.

Because I like to write & I love a good story, I asked Eddie to design a tag that had enough room to insert a tiny little story amid the ingredients, nutritional statement and UPC code. Specifically, I said…’like an accordion’.

Eddie’s response was a mixture of eye-rolling, muttering & a wrinkled nose (indicating annoyance). Why? Perhaps because it’s frustrating to work with me. Perhaps because the things that I ‘want’ are always logistically difficult, impractical, or just bad ideas. I’m not quite sure. To make matters worse, I’m persistent and stubborn, and don’t easily back away from an idea.

So, I try again. I say ‘accordion’, this time with feeling. He grumbles. He looks at me with a mixture of exasperation and pain.

Because I don’t understand why he’s frustrated, I look at his creation, and say…’like this, but with another page.’

And thus begins our official arts & crafts session. Which feels very competitive. Because I’m still on crutches, I sheepishly smile & point to his office (message: pretty please bring me paper and scissors). I take the paper, start folding, tracing, and grab the scissors with confidence. I start cutting, look up at him, and start to say ‘see???’ when all of the sudden, I realize that my oval is questionable, my ‘idea’ is a bust and I suck at cutting paper.

Mr. Collins stood next to me, quietly relishing this beautiful moment of my origamic failure. He then happily removed the scissors from my hands, snips away, and said ‘oh, is THIS what you wanted?’.